Answers

Bay are just about to resprout and have their Spring surge of growth, so it's possible that these are just the old leaves. Evergreens lose their leaves once a year too, just not in autumn. Wait and see what the new growth brings.

Evergreens lose leaves all year round, TT - there may be a few more in Spring as new growth starts to push through, but they shouldn't ever lose lots and lots of leaves at once (except in severe winter conditions).